Self-measuring coffee basket



zmwm

Dec 28, 1937. D. a. HADLEY SELF MEASURING COFFEE BASKET Filed Feb. 20,

INVENTOR Dona/d1; Had/e51.

WITNESSES:

ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 28, 1937 Westinghouse Electric & ManufacturingCompany, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a. corporationof Pennsylvania ApplicationFebruary 20, 1936, Serial No. 64,865

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a coffee-making machine, and particularly tothat type of machine in which hot water is delivered into a basketcontaining the ground coffee and by percolating through the coffeeproduces the infusion which is received in the space below thecontainer.

It is an object of this invention to provide a container adapted tointroduce into the machine a predetermined measured amount of coffee.

It is a further object of this invention to provide the container withtwo partitions, one of which is fixed and the other movable whereby thespace between them may be regulated.

It is a further object of this invention to make the movable partitionin the above-described container adjustable by rotation about a centralstandard.

It is a further object of this invention to provide means whereby thevolume contained between the two partitions may be quickly and easilyascertained.

Other objects of the invention and details of the proposed structure;will be apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a central vertical sectional view of the container, and

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

This device is intended for use with coffeemaking machines of the sortordinarily called percolators. In such machines, the ground coffee isusually located in a container, with foraminated walls and bottom,ordinarily called a basket. The portion of the percolator below thecontainer contains water which upon being heated rises through a centraltube and descends through the basket.

The basket I has a central standard 2 which may be slid over the tube ofthe percolator in-' tended to deliver the hot water, thus positioningthe basket in the machine. This standard 2 is made hollow in order thatit shall fit over the hot water tube. The basket is a circular cylinderand is intended to fit the upper portion of the percolator beingsupported therein by reason'of the flange 3 resting on the upper edge ofthe walls of the percolator.

Inside of the basket is a partition 4 secured to the side wall and tothe standard. A notch 5' is provided inthe edge of the partition 4 whichis secured to the standard 2. This notch is for the accommodation of atongue 6 which has been formed into a cylindrical projection upon theinner edge of a second partition I.

The partition 1 extends from the standard 2 to the wall of the basket.It is secured to the standard 2 by having the tongue '6 curled aroundthe standard but it is not rigidly fastened to the standard. Neither isit fastened to the bottom or the side wall. The partition 4 on the otherhand may be fastened at the standard, the side wall and the bottom ifdesired. It is intended to be stationary. Graduations are provided uponthe flange 3 by which the position of the partition 1 may be judged.

In the operation of the device, partition 1 is rotated about the uprighttube until it is at the desired distance from the partition 4. To judgethis distance, the graduations upon the flange 3 are used. Thesegraduations are intended to show when the space between the partition 4and the partition 1 will contain as much coffee as is needed to make thenumber of cups indicated by the graduation numerals. For example, in theillustration shown in Fig. 2, the device is set so that if the spacebetween the partitions 4 and 1 is filled with the coffee to be cooked,it will be sufficient to produce six cups of the infusion resulting fromthe heat. In order to fill this space completely, the ground coffee isput therein until level with the flange 3. This may well be done byfilling the basket to a greater height than the flange 3 and scrapingthe surplus away across the flange.

The device is then inserted in the percolator by slipping the hollowstandard 2 into the hot water tube and the water in the percolator isthen heated. Upon being heated it rises through the tube upon which thestandard 2 fits and descends from the mouth of the standard 2 upon thecoffee. It percolates through the coffee and descends into thepercolator through the holes in the side walls and the bottom. When thecoffee has been used, the container is removed from the percolator andthe cooked coffee grounds emptied from it, after which it is washed andis ready for the next use.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modificationsof this device are possible. The invention is, therefore, not to belimited by the specific description and illustration of the deviceherein. No limitations of the invention are intended, except thoserequired by the prior art or indicated expressly in the claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a coifee-making machine, a cylindrical foraminate coffee containerhaving a central tubular standard, a radial partition fixed to saidportion of the container between said partitions may be varied, saidtubular member being formed to receive a percolator tube, andgraduations on the rim of said container adapted to cooperate with themovable partition to indicate the stationary volume between thepartitions.

2. In a coffee-making machine, a. cylindrical foraminate cofieecontainer having a central tubular standard, a radial partition fixed tosaid standard and a movable radial partition pivotally secured on saidstandard whereby the closed portion of the container between saidpartitions may be varied, said tubular member being formed to receive apercolator tube.

partition being movable through an arc of at least 2'70 degrees. DONALDLEE HADLEY.

